Mass. high school football power eliminated in sectional semis after foe given ‘fifth down’

One of the most anticipated Massachusetts high school football games of the year unfolded Saturday between Everett and Central Catholic (Lawrence). It was already a tight game, and then the game officials got involved.

Two Massachusetts powers — Everett and Central Catholic — faced off in a Northern Sectional semifinal with predictably dramatic results; Central Catholic eventually emerged as 39-37 victors in overtime to reach the sectional finals. There’s just one issue: Everett claims the game only reached overtime because Central Catholic was given a ghost ‘fifth down’ on a critical third quarter drive.

As reported by the Boston Globe, the circumstances around the extra down are confusing, involving a spot foul penalty, a series of runs followed by an incompletion and a protest by the Central sideline. Here’s how it all apparently played out:

On what was listed as fourth and 8 — but was actually the fifth down — the Raiders executed a fake punt for 9 yards. On the following play, Central scored on a 26-yard pass for a 31-24 lead.

The sequence of plays went like this:

■ 1-10 at Everett 37: 6-yard run

■  2-4 at 31: 9-yard run negated by offensive holding penalty (minus-10 yards from spot of foul, which occurred at the 30)

■  2-13 at 40: Incomplete pass

■  3-13 at 40: 2-yard run

■  3-11 at 38: 3-yard pass

■  4-8 at 35: 9-yard fake-punt pass play

■  1-10 at 26: 26-yard touchdown pass

The fifth down and subsequent touchdown proved to be a crushing blow to Everett’s season, and continues to haunt Everett coach Theluxon Pierre.

“I’m sick to my stomach,” Pierre told the Globe. “How do you make that mistake? You have five refs out there.

“This is ridiculous. You don’t do that to kids.”

The referees shouldn’t do that to kids, and its doubtless that they never intended to. Yet that’s still what happened, and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) now contends there is no recourse to change the events that have already passed.

Perhaps more concerning is that no changes — such as the potential implementation of video instant replay review in the playoffs — will be made to the Massachusetts football officiating process unless a formal challenge is filed and a debate determines that change is needed. That still feels some ways away in the aftermath of Saturday’s catastrophic officiating error.

“(Instant replay is) certainly something to think about,” Brian Doherty, president of the Association of New England Football Officials, told the Globe.

“You have that in college, where an official in the booth can fix a catastrophic mistake. But we don’t have that ability [in high school] right now. It’s disheartening . . . but nobody feels worse than the officials that were in that game.”

Jets sign OL Ben Braden to practice squad

The Jets have signed offensive lineman Ben Braden to the practice squad.

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After elevating Kyron Brown from the practice squad, the Jets had a spot to fill.

The team announced on Wednesday that they signed offensive lineman Ben Braden to the practice squad.

Braden was signed by the Jets as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan in 2017. He didn’t make the initial 53-man roster in 2017, but was signed to the practice squad. The Jets then signed him to a future/reserve contract in January 2018.

In 2018, Braden made the 53-man roster, but was waived shortly after that and then re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster at the end of November. In 2019, Braden was back on the practice squad before being waived in September. Braden was signed to the Packers practice squad a couple days later and was waived last week.

Report: New collective bargaining agreement may have 17 game schedule

The NFL/NFLPA continue negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement and the final product may feature 17 regular season games.

Are you ready for some (more) Dolphins football? The NFL has been working diligently with the NFL Player’s Association (NFLPA) to avoid any potential work stoppage at the end of the league’s current collective bargaining agreement, which is scheduled for the end of the 2020 NFL season. There’s been much negotiations during the course of the 2019 calendar year, including progress that’s been made over the course of recent months and could result in a new agreement by early 2020 — according to a report from Mark Maske of the Washington Post.

What would a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) look like? First and foremost, more Miami Dolphins football. The proposed stipulations reportedly include a reduced preseason schedule, a 17-game regular season schedule and potentially even additional playoff spots for one additional team per conference to get a crack at a Lombardi Trophy each season.

The league and its players will continue to work to find the balance between maximizing potential revenue and player safety, which has been a constant concern of the player’s association throughout these negotiations: more games means more injuries and that is ultimately bad for business.

The intriguing piece of this for Miami is potential of an expanded playoff field — it could benefit the Dolphins and their history in a handful of ways. By the time the new CBA is ready, the Dolphins should be looking to get into contention in the AFC. A 7th playoff spot would benefit the Dolphins immensely as they look to transition into contenders. And an added regular season game adds more difficulty to the prospect of anyone running the table as an undefeated team — which would leave the Dolphins alone in the Super Bowl era as undefeated champions.

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The stats proved Russell Westbrook’s criticism of Patrick Beverley wrong

Oops.

The Houston Rockets made a statement on Wednesday night by taking down the Los Angeles Clippers (who might be getting Paul George back soon) 102-93.

After the contest, Russell Westbrook took a shot at Patrick Beverley, who he has some history with over the years.

“Pat Bev trick y’all, man, like he playing defense,” Westbrook told reporters after the contest, “He don’t guard nobody, man. He just running around, doing nothing.”

He pointed out that his Rockets teammate James Harden scored 47 points, which is all fine and convenient when you look at the box score.

But how many times was Beverley the one defending Harden?

There’s an answer for that and it proves Westbrook wrong:

What did Beverley say when he was informed about Westbrook’s comments? From ESPN:

“Don’t start that, don’t start that,” Beverley told ESPN as he exited the Clippers’ locker room. “I don’t care about that.”

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Jets to have representative at Colin Kaepernick’s workout

The Jets will have a representative at Colin Kaepernick’s private workout.

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With the Jets backup quarterback situation in question for next season, they will take a look at Colin Kaepernick.

Kaepernick is participating in a private workout in Atlanta on Saturday for all 32 teams. The Jets will send a representative to watch Kaepernick’s workout, according to ESPN. The event will include an on-field workout followed by an interview.

On Wednesday, Jets head coach Adam Gase was asked about Kaepernick’s upcoming workout, but he declined to discuss the quarterback.

“I got to worry about this week,” Gase told reporters. “That’s what my job is. That’s a question for personnel guys.”

The last time Kaepernick played in the NFL was in 2016 with the 49ers. It was in San Francisco that he began to protest racial and social injustice, kneeling during the national anthem. Before that, he led the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2012 and made the NFC Championship in 2013. After that, his production started to dip.

Many believe Kaepernick has been blacklisted by the NFL for his kneeling protests that began in 2016. After being released by the 49ers in 2016, Kaepernick filed a grievance against the NFL in 2017. He and the NFL reached a confidential settlement in 2019.

The Jets could use a backup quarterback, but it remains to be seen how real of a shot they or any other team will give Kaepernick.

Dolphins linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel to return from IR

The Miami Dolphins will use their second eligible IR-return designation on rookie LB Andrew Van Ginkel, a 5th-round pick out of Wisconsin.

The Miami Dolphins’ 2019 rookie class has seen strong contributions from the likes of early, mid and late round draft selections alike. Miami has constant fixtures in the starting lineup courtesy of DL Christian Wilkins (1st-round) and OG Michael Deiter (3rd-round) — plus FB Chandler Cox’s (7th-round) sporadic contributions throughout each game when the Dolphins have to go with more heavy personnel. That doesn’t even include the contributions of undrafted rookies like WR Preston Williams and CB Nik Needham.

And they’re about to get more reinforcements. The Dolphins placed 5th-round linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel on injured reserve at the beginning of the season but will be activating Van Ginkel to help further boost the offense and begin developing Van Ginkel’s promising athletic skill set.

Coming out of Wisconsin, Van Ginkel had a knack for making plays against the pass — getting his athletic ability and nose for the football on the field will provide some intriguing opportunities for the Dolphins. Add in the presence of another Wisconsin Badgers defender, Vince Biegel, with the success he has had this season as a pass rusher and the Dolphins have the opportunity to manufacture some really good pressure reps for a bit more explosive player in Van Ginkel.

Implementation will likely be gradual, the Dolphins would be wise to slowly ease the workload of Van Ginkel up throughout the final seven games of the 2019 season — but getting a look at one of their more notable draft investments of 2019 is going to be a bonus for a defense that has turned the corner and found their groove.

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Steelers final injury report for Week 11 vs. Browns

Steelers final injury report for Week 11 vs. Browns includes Joe Haden and return man issues for Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Steelers make the short trek to Cleveland to face the Browns in the Week 11 kickoff game with several players carrying injury statuses. That includes former Browns fan favorite, CB Joe Haden.

Per our colleagues at Steelers Wire, here are the injury designations for Thursday night’s contest at FirstEnergy Stadium:

WR Ryan Switzer (Back) – Out
RB Benny Snell Jr. (Knee) – Out
FB Roosevelt Nix (Knee) – Out
LB Anthony Chickillo (Ribs) – Questionable
CB Joe Haden (Illness) – Questionable

Switzer is the team’s primary return specialist, so that does throw an additional monkey wrench into the works. Running back James Conner, who missed last week’s game, has no injury designation for Thursday’s game and will play.

RB David Johnson still a starter for Cardinals on latest depth chart

He had been benched in the second half of the team’s game in Tampa Bay last week.

The Arizona Cardinals released their depth chart for Week 11. There some small changes with recent roster additions. However, nothing changed with running back David Johnson.

Johnson was benched in the team’s 30-27 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after he fumbled in the second half. However, that did not change his status on the team’s depth chart.

He is still listed as a starter at running back. Kenyan Drake, who played more and got more touches than Johnson against the Bucs, is still listed third on the depth chart at running back behind both Johnson and the injured Chase Edmonds.

There were changes, just not to the running back position.

Guard Max Garcia, recently activated from PUP, is the backup right guard, which moves rookie Lamont Gaillard to third string at both center and right guard.

With Zach Allen landing on injured reserve, Jonathan Bullard is now listed as a starter on the defensive line. Michael Dogbe moves up to No. 2 behind him. Recently promoted Miles Brown is listed third at nose tackle.

Cornerback Chris Jones is listed on the depth chart behind both Patrick Peterson and Tramaine Brock.

Pete Robertson replaces Brooks Reed as the backup to Chandler Jones as the SAM linebacker.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

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Dolphins K Jason Sanders named AFC special teams player of the week

Miami Dolphins K Jason Sanders has been named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after his kicks propelled Miami to a win in Indy.

The margin for error in football games is quite small — the difference between a win and a loss might be something as little as a single penalty, catch or, as was the case for the Dolphins this past weekend, a kick. The Dolphins’ offense fell stagnant in the second half of their 16-12 win over the Indianapolis Colts, it was kicker Jason Sanders who elevated the offense with two 48-yard kicks in the 4th quarter to bail out the Dolphins and keep the score at a place where the Colts needed to go for a touchdown in the final possession.

Conversely, Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri provided the Colts with a costly miss of an extra point — which ended up being the difference in Indianapolis going for it on 4th and 10 with just second left deep in Dolphins territory versus being able to kick a field goal for a tie game.

Sanders has been rewarded for his big kicking performance and his role in Miami’s win — he’s been named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 10!

The pair of 48-yard kicks were notable for Sanders, mainly because he’s struggled greatly from outside of 40-yards thus far this season. Sanders entered the 4th quarter just 2 of 6 from 40+ yards on the year — before a pair of kicks that split the uprights down the middle to help Miami lock in the win. Sanders, who was a 2018 draft selection for the Dolphins, will look to build on the momentum of making two big kicks late in the game against Indy and start hitting his long shots with more consistency.

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Off Guard: Retired from fighting, Robert Drysdale explains unique coaching mindset

Undefeated as a fighter, Robert Drysdale has officially called it quits and is turning his attention to coaching.

[autotag]Robert Drysdale[/autotag] is calling it quits on his fighting career.

Well technically, he retired awhile back, but he didn’t let anyone know it right away. However, in a recent post on Facebook, Drysdale (7-0) officially announced the end of the road.

Earlier this month, he opened up to MMA Junkie about the decision to call it quits despite going undefeated as a pro.

“I just didn’t want to do it anymore,” Drysdale said. “My heart wasn’t in the right place. I always told myself I was going to do it for the right reasons … because basically I wanted to prove to myself I could. … There were some things missing that I would have liked to have done, but nothing’s perfect.”

What’s next for Drysdale? The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, like many other retired fighters, will continue his legacy in MMA as a coach. Unlike his fellow retirees, however, a coaching position is where Drysdale started out in MMA – not as a fighter.

“There’s a reason why people turn into coaches once they retire,” Drysdale said. “And my career was backwards in that regard. I was cornering UFC title fights when I was 0-0 into my late 20s. So it’s not something I was prepared for. It’s very different now.”

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Drysdale believes the unusual journey to this point will give him an advantageous mindset as a coach. Throughout his MMA career, he was able to analyze the coaching he received from a coach’s perspective.

“My mindset as a coach is a reflex to my mistakes as a fighter or the things that I thought my coaches weren’t doing right in my opinion,” Drysdale said. “I’ve learned from that experience. … I think there’s a lot more to MMA than being technically and physically and mentally ready.”

Drysdale was successful inside the cage, but that doesn’t mean he always felt comfortable. The mental and emotional toll of fighting weighed on Drysdale, which is one aspect he won’t have to weigh as a coach.

“I’m more confident about this than I ever was about my fighting career,” Drysdale said. “Fighting was always something very difficult because I had to confront my fears and anxiety. I was terrified of fighting, and it was very difficult for me emotionally.

“Because some these guys walk into the cage like it’s nothing. To me, it was very hard. I overcame that even though it was very difficult. Even though I did well, I was never as confident about that career as I am about my career as a coach. Because I really feel that this is my calling more than fighting was.”

In his lone UFC appearance, Drysdale submitted Keith Berish at The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale in July 2014. The victory was eventually ruled a no contest after Drysdale tested positive for elevated testosterone levels. He was subsequently released by the UFC.

After he served his suspension, Drysdale return to pro MMA action at Legacy FC 58 in July 2016 when he submitted future UFC light heavyweight Ryan Spann by second-round rear-naked choke.

Check out MMA Junkie’s full “Off Guard” interview with Robert Drysdale in the video above.

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